Aviadev Insight

Covid undoubtedly increased the complexity of travel. Alongside the usual stresses of visas and all the other logistics of any trip, the added health protocols made travel more difficult than ever before. However, today, we discuss an active solution that came online in December 2021 in the Republic of Seychelles, a cutting-edge cloud-based system and biometric corridor that screens arrivals to the country in a touchless and speedy environment. In this episode, we cover:

Cemair have undoubtedly been one of the pandemic's aviation  success stories. Established in 2005, Cemair is headquartered at OR Tambo International in Johannesburg and operates a variety of routes domestically and regionally. In this episode, we gain an understanding of how Cemair have made it this far and how the pandemic experience changed the airline’s strategy, what the fleet and network expansion plans look like and how the ongoing drive to create partnerships and interline agreements are supporting the business’ goals. Miles and Paul will be joining us at AviaDev Africa 2022. You can find out more and register here Find out more about Cemair If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone you think would benefit from listening. 

This episode focuses on an exclusive new report from the aviation consultancy team at MHIRJ, which is due to be released mid-2022. We focus on the 5 major trends that will shape African aviation over the next 30 years.  In the episode we cover: ✈️ The aim and methodology of the new report ✈️ The five major trends that will shape African aviation

This episode features Marcel Langeslag, Director, Aviation Africa at Netherlands Airport Consultants Limited (NACO). NACO offer planning, design and advisory services to airports across the globe and Marcel is involved in numerous projects across the African continent. In this episode, we cover: ✈️ the 5 emerging trends that will improve airport resilience ✈️ The cargo opportunity for African airports. A long term trend worth investing in? ✈️ The changing face of airport finance and increase in private sector involvement. Are airports still a solid investment? ✈️ Diversification away from aeronautical revenues. How do airports build resilience? Find out more about NACO here You can connect with Marcel here If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone that you think would benefit from listening and don’t forget to leave us a review so we can be found by even more people.

This podcast was recorded on location at ACI Africa in Mombasa 16th March 2022.  Joining me is Namory Camara, the new Managing Director of SOGEAC (the Airports Company of Guinea).  in the podcast we discuss: ✈️ Mory's aviation career to date ✈️ Top priorities for Guinea's aviation development ✈️ Route development plans and opportunities for the country ✈️ Infrastructure development and investment  ✈️ Why we should visit Guinea You can connect with Mory here Find out more about SOGEAC here If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone that you think would benefit from listening and don’t forget to leave us a review so we can be found by even more people.

My special guest for this episode is none other than the Cabinet Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Conservation, Republic of Kenya, Honourable Najib Balala. This episode was recorded at the beautiful Vipingo Hills Golf Club to the North of Mombasa. Minister Balala and I have spoken together on numerous conference sessions and one of his great passions is aviation.  In the podcast, we discuss:

This episode is a 2 parter recorded on location in Mombasa, Kenya, during the ACI Africa conference.  between 8-10 May 2022, AFRAA will host its stakeholders' convention in Nairobi in partnership with Kenya Airways.  We first hear from Mr Berthe, Secretary General of AFRAA (African Airlines Association) and we discuss: ✈️ The latest figures for February 2022 ✈️ The key topics for the Stakeholders convention, being held under the theme "Beyond the crisis" ✈️ The potential impact of health protocol relaxation We then speak to Allan Kilavuka and covered the following topics

On 9th March 2022, Eswatini Air will welcome its first aircraft to the Kingdom, an Embraer ERJ 145.  I am joined by Xavier Masule, Commercial Director and together we discuss: The ownership structure and mandate of the airline The passenger mix. Is the focus on business or tourism traffic? Fleet plans. Why did the airline choose the ERJ 145? The initial routes and when we can expect operations to commence The airline's view of partnerships and the longer-term plans for the airline If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone that you think would benefit from listening, and don’t forget to leave us a review so we can be found by even more people.  

This March will see the first live, in-person aviation event in Africa for 2 years. The 67th ACI Africa Board and Committee meetings regional conference and exhibition will take place 12-18 March in the wonderful location of Mombasa, Kenya and AviaDev will be present. ACI Africa is the Voice of African Airports, with its prime objective to represent and advance the collective interests of African airports In this podcast, I am joined by the Secretary-General of ACI Africa, Ali Tounsi and together we preview the conference and discuss the key issues of focus for ACI as we look to recover from the effects of the pandemic. Find out more and register for the event here: http://aci-africa.net/

In this episode, I am joined by the co-hosts of one of my favourite podcasts, Bryanair. The podcast was a real support to me personally during the Covid lockdown. It was a weekly dose of industry news and flight deck banter, which offered an escape from the negativity around us and it has gone from strength to strength over the last 2 years.  In the podcast, we cover: The Bryanair origin story The overall aim of the podcast and how it has developed The format and audience  The beauty of the podcast medium and its adoption in Africa What to expect from the podcast in the future You can discover the show for yourself by subscribing on your platform of choice or by clicking here https://bryanair.libsyn.com/  You can connect with Bryan here  You can connect with Ryan here If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone that you think would benefit from listening and don’t forget to leave us a review so we can be found by even more people. You can also visit the AviaDev website, www.aviationdevelop.com

2021 was yet another disastrous year for African airlines in terms of profitability and any recovery was impacted by the Omicron variant.  The African Airlines Association or AFRAA was a member of the multi-sectoral task force that met and created a document that called for the safe reopening of borders back in February 2021 and there is now a renewed effort to implement the recommendations. Together with Mr Berthe, we discuss Why is now the right time for a renewed effort to harmonise travel protocols. How AFRAA is supporting the African CDC and what AFRAA member airlines want to see in terms of progress? Digitizing travel in 2022 and harmonizing the inter-operability of solutions AFRAA’s aims and objectives for 2022. You can find out more at www.afraa.org  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone that you think would benefit from listening and don’t forget to leave us a review so we can be found by even more people. You can also visit the AviaDev website to find out more and sign up for Avi

The Covid crisis has had a profound impact on the aviation sector in Africa and these shifting sands have demanded resilience and have inspired new innovative approaches to ensure survival. One airline famed for its innovation is South Africa's FlySafair and they have announced that they will launch their first service outside of South Africa’s borders on March 8 2022 with a two weekly service to the beautiful island of Mauritius. Kirby Gordon joins me for this podcast and is full of optimism for the immediate future.  Together, we discuss: Why now is the right time to launch the Mauritius route and what is the passenger profile expected on the route FlySafair's regional expansion plans. What does the airline look for from a potential airport/ destination partner? FlySafair's approach to partnerships Further innovations to add to the product mix.  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone that you think would benefit from listening and don’t forget to leave us a review so we can be found by

In this episode, we meet Simon Newton-Smith, who joined SAA in August 2021 as Interim CCO. He has a deep and varied background including having previously worked with SAA some 20 years ago.  SAA emerged from business rescue in April 2021 and the airline has entered a turbulent market.  In the podcast, we cover: How Simon would sum up the progress made since exiting business rescue Where the bright spots are and how the route network has been developed What SAA are looking for from potential airports/ destinations that want to attract the airline Clarification around the KQ/SAA strategic partnership SAA's fleet plans.  His thoughts on the recovery of business travel Immediate strategic objectives for 2022 If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone that you think would benefit from listening and don’t forget to leave us a review so we can be found by even more people. Find out more about AviaDev at www.aviationdevelop.com/africa 

This is the first podcast of 2022 and as such I am delighted that we are discussing a positive and uplifting pan- African project that aims to spotlight opportunities for intra-africa trade and tourism development across the value chain. The event is the Walk for Love and in this episode, I discuss the concept of the project, why it’s needed and how you can get involved with event organiser, Toni Ukachukwu, plus include a snippet of a new song that will be released alongside the walk.  EMAIL: walkforloveafrica@gmail.com INSTAGRAM @walkforloveafrica TWITTER @wfl_africa FACEBOOK @walkforloveafrica Song of love by Vicky Sampson out 12th Feb.

For this episode, I am joined by Derek Nseko, Publisher of Airspace-Africa and together we meet Jenifer Bamuturaki, CEO of Uganda Airlines.  Uganda Airlines was recently crowned the world's youngest fleet by ch-aviation and operates a fleet of CRJ-900s and A330s.  In this wide-ranging conversation, we discover the following: Jenifer's background and passions The priorities of Uganda Airlines in 2022 and beyond How Uganda Airlines views partnerships and collaboration Network and fleet development plans Find out more about Uganda Airlines here Connect with Derek here and visit airspace-africa

In this episode, Sylvain joins us to discuss a fascinating article focused on the opportunity for African airlines to wet-lease in capacity during peak times.  Is this a solution that can allow airlines to operate profitably?  What type of airline is it most suited to? Is it a way to ensure important connectivity without the huge price tag of a long-term lease or aircraft purchase? You can read the blog here Want to know more about the opportunity? Connect with Sylvain here Email Sylvain@avico.com

In the light of the recent events AviaDev team talks to Dirk Singer, Head of Research at Simpliflying who has been covering the implications of the pandemic on the world of travel since the early days. Also today, Dirk is very actively commenting end explaining the current situation on Linkedin and also on Simpliflying corona weekly newsletter. On 25th November we heard the first news about a new variant of covid-19 which was discovered by the scientists in South Africa and later it was named Omicron by WHO. What followed was very quick reaction of the international community to ban the flights from South Africa and other African countries.  With Dirk we are discussing the current situation, what we do know about Omicron on 30 November 2021, how effective the travel bans are and what can we expect in the coming weeks. 

This episode is a recording of a session delivered on 11th November 2021 at the Future Flying Forum, presented by Simple Flying and powered by AviaDev.  Sean Mendis took to the stage to present on the topic of the future of African aviation.  Sean is an aviation expert who has started up benefits airlines on the continent, along with time spent managing Mogadishu airport in Somalia and a cargo airline. He is known for his informed and honest opinions and has a deep-rooted passion for the African aviation industry, which is something I am sure we all share.

This episode was recorded at the Dubai Airshow with Nuno Pereira CEO of Bestfly, an Angolan-based aviation company with operations in Cabo Verde, Angola and Aruba. I was also joined by Sameer Adam, Senior Vice President Commercial, ACIA Aero Leasing (“ACIA”), a leading provider of regional aircraft leasing and lease management services.  The companies agreed to the lease of two aircraft, one Embraer E-190 and one ATR 72-600, which are joining the other two ATR72-600s on lease from ACIA in the carrier’s fleet. ACIA and Bestfly also agreed to further expand the E-190 lease portfolio in 2022. Together we discussed the planned deployment of the new aircraft and longer-term plans for diversification You can connect with Sameer here

This episode is the recording of the interview I conducted on 10th November for the Future Flying Forum, an event brought to you by Simple Flying, the world's largest aviation news website, which was delivered in conjunction with the AviaDev team. Over 2 days, we took our delegates on a journey from Australia to Alaska stopping off on the way. Rodger has been a guest on the podcast before and he has been the CEO of Airlink since inception in 1992 and the airline has grown to operate a fleet of over 50 commercial aircraft. In 2020, Airlink began operating on its own 4Z code ending a 23 year franchise agreement with SAA. Today, Airlink is the second biggest airline in Africa by number of flights operated and has signed numerous codeshares and interlines over the last 12 months. Together we discuss the partnerships, fleet plans, his thoughts on sustainability and take a look into the future.